Real Madrid run the risk of feeling some very real regret at the departure of Xabi Alonso, because while he did some things that were almost as if he were a Rafael Benitez 2.0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, including wanting some bizarre squad moves in the transfer mercato, it is hard to question a guy who literally went undefeated with Bayer Leverkusen to break up Bayern Munich's hegemony while managing a team nicknamed "Neverkusen" for literally never winning anything.
Everyone thought Alonso, who used to be a star defensive midfielder for the Royal Whites under Jose Mourinho, was a slam dunk signing, and it was shocking to see how things failed so spectacularly for the Spanish manager.
However, as expected, it did not take long for Alonso to land on his feet with a high profile coaching job, as he is tasked with leading a chronically underachieving Chelsea side that ran through managers, had plenty of controversy, and did not even qualify for Europe last season.
Real Madrid are not rooting for Chelsea
Xabi Alonso, though, sounds confident in his new club, and he said something very interesting that may not sit well with Real Madrid supporters. The former Liverpool star stated of managing Chelsea now, via Fabrizio Romano, “The potential of the team and squad made me really excited. It’s beautiful to find a squad to work with, create a football idea, bring excitement to the stadium and connect with the fans”.
In a subtle way, it feels like a dig at Real Madrid. Alonso just took the Chelsea job not even a year after managing Madrid, and he is already buzzing about the team, the squad, and the ability to bring his "idea" of football to Stamford Bridge and connect with the fans.
Alonso never felt like he got to do that at Real Madrid. The players turned on his ideas, he was too heavy handed and stubborn with those ideas, and the fans were fractured around him and his treatment of certain star players over others. It was a disastrous reign with a lot of drama that, in all honesty, an inexperienced manager was not equipped to handle in following suit from Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti.
On the one hand, many Real Madrid fans are rooting for the best for Alonso, but it will really sting if he can get his ideas and support together at Chelsea around a fan base united in his leadership.
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